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. 2022 Sep 17;19(18):11739.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811739.

Can Mobile Payment Increase Household Income and Mitigate the Lower Income Condition Caused by Health Risks? Evidence from Rural China

Weisong Qiu  1 , Tieqi Wu  2 , Peng Xue  3
Affiliations

Can Mobile Payment Increase Household Income and Mitigate the Lower Income Condition Caused by Health Risks? Evidence from Rural China

Weisong Qiu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

China has moved into a new stage of its fight against poverty, where the further raising of rural household income is of great importance. Health risk is one of the biggest obstacles to the poverty reduction progress. Therefore, how to cope with the negative effects of health risks has attracted the attention of scholars, especially in the background of the global outbreak of COVID-19. In this paper, we try to explore whether mobile payment, a new form of payment, can improve the income of rural households and mitigate the lower income condition caused by health risks in China. Using data from the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we found: (1) mobile payment can substantially increase rural household income; (2) health risks will lower the income of rural residents, but mobile payment can lessen this negative effect. Mechanism analysis indicates that mobile payment is likely to ease liquidity constraints, increase social interaction, and stimulate entrepreneurship for rural households. We advised the government to promote mobile payment adoption in rural areas and enhance its design. Additionally, better medical resources should also be made available to rural households.

Keywords: health risks; household income; mobile payment; poverty alleviation; rural China.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The market transaction volume of China mobile payment (Data source: The People’s Bank of China).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of users of China mobile payment (Data source: The People’s Bank of China).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Theoretical analysis framework.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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